Candied Dill Pickles

Do you have one of those recipes that the minute you smell it or taste it, you are suddenly transported back to your childhood? This recipe does it for me! My Nanny kept these in the "Fridgidare" all the time. Once the pickle jar was almost empty, she started a new batch! This pickle is tart, sweet, crunchy, and just plain delish! I love to eat these with salty fried catfish or southern fried chicken. I even chop up the pickle slices to use in place of relish in potato, chicken or tuna salads. It is as much a staple in my kitchen as the mayonnaise and butter is!

Candied Dill Pickles

One large jar whole dill pickles

3 cups sugar

½ cup white vinegar

heaping tablespoon of pickling spice

cheesecloth, cut into a 3“ x 3” square

Drain off pickles into a large bowl, reserving about a half cup of pickle juice (save for later). Slice whole pickles into slices - I prefer thicker slices to thin.

Cover pickle slices with sugar and stir. Pour reserved pickle juice and half cup of vinegar over pickles. Stir thoroughly. Allow pickles to sit at room temperature for several hours, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.

Place the heaping tablespoon of pickling spice into the center of the cheesecloth square. Tie up corners, or secure with a piece of string.

Drop pickling spice bundle into the pickle jar and return pickles and juices back into the jar as well. Secure lid and place in the refrigerator. Pickles need to “sit” for about four days, turning the jar upside down every so often to mix the juices.

After 4-5 days, pickles are ready to enjoy!

Bathroom Renovation Part Deaux

I posted photos of my hubby painting our master bathroom MONTHS ago with the promise of posting more photos. Well, believe it or not, months and months of living with a half painted bath finally came to an end this past weekend!

The boys loaded up and went hunting in Mississippi last weekend and I just made up my mind to get the bathroom closer to being done. I painted the walls, bought new bath mats and bathroom accessories (love. bed. bath. and. beyond), then hung some new artwork.

I am pleased in the direction it is going...a little mod, a little traditional. I know, those two things aren't supposed to go together in a perfect world, but I am rather eclectic and it works great for me!

I have to get new faucets and towel bars to replace the shiny gold ones I currently have - circa 1997. It seems kind of a shame, they were expensive Delta faucets and really posh back-in-the-day. But I can't stand the gold anymore! Brushed nickel is what I am going to replace the gold with.

I am going to do a project and take down my faded shiny gold vanity lights and spray them with a hammered metal spray paint. I figured if it doesn't work out, I am only out a few cans of spray paint! More to come later...

Taking up a collection...

I have so many collections of things, stuff, and whatnots. I have an obsession for finding items that go together, then displaying them in different ways. My collections are mostly antiques and kitsch-y items. Some of them are pretty, some are funky and a few of them are a bit strange! Anyway, I wanted to share a few with you. The idea is to find something that strikes you - whether it is a shape, a theme, a color, a material, or gadget. Arranged together, you can end up with some interesting vignettes around your home:
Cranberry depression glass:

Fenton Glass:

Hummel monks:

Cobalt blue bottles:

Pottery:

French-inspired vignette: